Audit your subscriptions
in 10 minutes.
A clean, step-by-step checklist for finding every forgotten and duplicate subscription on your statements, ranked by refund probability. Use it once a quarter and most households recover $200–$400 a year.
Export 90 days of statements
The 90-day window covers most refund windows (Apple is 90 days, others 14–30). Export PDF or CSV from every card and bank you use, including ones you 'don't use much' — that's where the worst duplicates hide.
- Chase / BoA / Wells Fargo / Citi: Statements → Download (PDF)
- Apple Card: Share statement to Files (PDF)
- Amex: Statements & Activity → Download (PDF/CSV)
- Revolut / Wise / N26: Account → Statements (PDF)
Cluster by merchant descriptor (not brand name)
Sort transactions by descriptor. The brand name in your head almost never matches what shows on the statement. 'APL*MUSIC' and 'APPLE.COM/BILL' both mean Apple but belong to different teams.
- Apple: APPLE.COM/BILL, APL*MUSIC, ITUNES.COM
- Google: GOOGLE *YOUTUBE, GOOGLE *PLAY, GOOGLE *STORAGE
- Microsoft: MSFT *MICROSOFT 365, MICROSOFT*XBOX
- Adobe: ADOBE *CC, ADOBE.COM
Flag everything that hits the same cadence
Any charge that hits within 31 days of the previous one from the same merchant is recurring. The cadence is what defines a subscription — not the price.
- Monthly: charges 28–31 days apart
- Quarterly: charges 88–95 days apart (sneakiest tier)
- Annual: one big charge, usually around signup anniversary
Rank each one by use in the last 30 days
This is the question that matters: did you actually use it? If not — that's the refund pool.
- Streaming: check 'continue watching' or recently played
- Productivity: check 'last opened' in the app
- AI tools: usage dashboards (chat.openai.com → settings → data)
- Cloud storage: storage settings show last upload
Identify duplicates in the same category
1 in 9 households has at least one duplicate. Sort merchants by category and look for overlaps.
- Streaming: Netflix + Disney+ + HBO Max + Apple TV+ — pick 2
- AI: ChatGPT Plus + Claude Pro + Notion AI — usually one is enough
- Storage: iCloud+ + Google One + Dropbox — consolidate to one
- Password manager: 1Password + iCloud Keychain — drop one
Send the refund request — within the merchant's window
Each merchant has a published window. Use it before it closes. The exact email script matters; see our cancel guides.
- Apple: 90 days via reportaproblem.apple.com
- Microsoft: 30 days via account.microsoft.com
- Adobe: 14 days, automatic on cancel
- Spotify: 14 days, support chat
Escalate to your card issuer if declined
If a merchant refuses in writing, you have 60–120 days to dispute with your bank using reason code Visa 13.2 / Mastercard 4853. Success rate is ~70%.
- Need: cancellation confirmation, declined refund reply, charge details
- File via your card's app — Chase, Amex, and Apple Card all have one-tap dispute
- Provisional credit usually within 1–3 business days